Social+Networking+Game

=Social Networking Game= by Matt Sherwood

**//Purpose//**
====Social Networking is a group game involving strategy and bluffing. It is good for discussing internet safety and teen behavior while online. It brings attention to the reality that “friends” who are met online can be lying about their identity and have evil intentions. There are five roles one can play: one Narrator, two Online Predators, two Undercover Detectives, two Parents, and the remaining people are Online Teenagers.====

**//Preparation//**
====The facilitator needs to thoroughly understand the game and have a copy of the game sequence and "Chat Room" printed out. The facilitator should also have a deck of cards ready to use in selecting the roles (see variations if a deck of cards are unavailable).====

==== Social Networking is a group game involving strategy and bluffing. It is a game designed to make you think about your own safety practices that you use while on the internet. It brings attention to the reality that “friends” who are met online can be lying about their identity and have evil intentions. There are five roles you can play: one Narrator(which is usually the leader), two Online Predators, two Undercover Detectives, two Parents, and the remaining people are Online Teenagers. ====

**//Setup//**//://
====Prepare the right number of playing cards for the game: The number of cards below is based on 12 players. Adjust the ratio according to the size of the group. The narrator shuffles all of the needed cards and each person randomly selects a card to determine their role.====

**//Roles://**

 * ====(1)//**Narrator:**// The Narrator controls the flow of the game and gives directions to all the other roles. The Narrating is usually done by the teacher, counselor, or person in charge, but participant could be trained to do this role as well.====
 * ====//(2) **Ace cards:**// Anyone who gets an Ace card is an Online Predator. Their goal is to keep secret that they are a predator and blend in with the Online Teenagers. For them to win the game, they want to eliminate the Online Teenagers one by one each round, but to not get eliminated by being blocked during the day.====
 * ====//(2) **King cards:**// Anyone who gets a King card is a member an Undercover Detective. These members try to figure out who is guilty of being an Online Predator and who is innocent. Thus, their goal is to help the Online Teenagers vote correctly in who to block during the day (the good people, not the bad!). They generally want to keep their identity secret so that the Online Predators cannot eliminate them early.====
 * ====//(2)**Queen card:**// The Parent Role. This optional (but recommended) role serves one purpose - to try to protect Online Teenagers during the night. He or she can also be selfish and choose to protect themselves during the night.====
 * ====//(6)**All other cards**// (number cards): Online Teenagers. Their goal is to figure out who is really an Online Predator, and to block them from the community during the day.====

//1. __**Nighttime**__//

 * ====Narrator reads one statement from the “Chat Room”. The purpose of these statements is to educate players about online predatory behaviors. Then Narrator reads the following sequence of events.====
 * ====It is nighttime, so everyone please go to sleep.” (Everyone puts their head down and closes their eyes)====
 * ====“Online Predators, please wake up.” (Only the Online Predators quietly open their eyes. The ones that are still “alive” quietly and unanimously choose a person to eliminate by pointing to someone in the group. The narrator takes note of the person chosen.====
 * ====“Online Predators, please go to sleep.” (They close eyes and place their heads down again.)====
 * ====“Undercover Detectives, please wake up.” (The Undercover Detectives that are still alive open their eyes and quietly point to one person who they suspect is an Online Predator.====
 * ====The narrator quietly nods or shakes his or her head to indicate whether that person is indeed an Online Predator.====
 * ====“Undercover Detectives, please go to sleep.” (They close their eyes and place their heads down.)====
 * ====“Parents, please wake up and choose someone you’d like to protect.” (The Parents, if still alive, wake up and silently and unanimously point to someone they would like to protect for that day.)====
 * ====“Parents, please go to sleep.” (The Parents closes their eyes and put their heads down.)====
 * ====“It’s morning. Everyone please wake up.” (Everyone opens their eyes and raises their head.)====

//2. **__Daytime Update__**//

 * ====The Narrator announces the person who was eliminated, unless the Parents correctly selected the person who was targeted by the Online Predators during the night. The person who was eliminated MUST quietly leave the circle. This person may not speak to anyone for the remainder of the entire game, but he or she may now keep his/her eyes open to watch everything.====

//3. **__Daytime Discussion/Voting__**//

 * ====The Online Teenagers (along with the Online Predators and the Undercover Detectives who are pretending to be Online Teenagers) then nominate and vote on people who they suspect is an Online Predator. Each person nominated may make a defense and plead their case. The person receiving a majority vote (50% or above) is eliminated. After someone is voted off, the day is over. The day may also end without an elimination if there is a tie. The day ends, and the pattern starts again (Nighttime, Daytime Update, Daytime Discussion/Voting).====

**//How to Win// :**
====The Online Teenagers, Parents, and Undercover Detectives win if they successfully eliminate all the Online Predators. The Online Predators win if they successfully eliminate all the Online Teenagers. This group game involves lots of strategy, knowing how and when to reveal your identity, who to trust, etc.====

**//Variations//**:
Rather than using cards, simply just tap them while their heads are down (”If I tap you now, you are the Online Predator.”)

Read one of these before each round. (The Chat room discussions imitate the grooming process of an online predator).
====1.) "You are so excited to finally be in a social network. You quickly set up your profile page and let everyone know you are an amazing, and sexy, 17 year old (ha, ha: they don’t need to know your real age) who is interested in meeting new people online. You don’t set it to private because you don’t want to limit your friends."==== ====2.) "While filling out your profile, you are very “careful”. You only share your first name, your birthday, a picture from the beach, your school information, all your interests and hobbies, and your home town. After all, nobody could find you with just that information, right?"==== ====3.) "First contact. Finally, a new friend contacted you. He, (or She) is totally interested in the same things as you are! In fact, they like exactly everything that you like and hate everything that you hate. Maybe, this person is your “soulmate”! OMG!"==== ====4.) "What a terrible day! Everyone in your real life was just terrible. Your friends just don’t appreciate you for who you are, and your parents are just so controlling! If it weren’t for your online friend, nobody would understand. It is amazing the way he(she) is so understanding and completely sympathetic. Nobody else understands and is interested in you like they are. "==== ====5.) "Your online friend wants to know more about you. He(she) has really opened up and sent you a picture of them and told you everything you asked about. He(she) just seems so perfect and almost too good to be true. Your friend asks you to send more pictures and tell what your full name is, your address, and your phone number. You are not quite sure yet, so you just send your friend more pictures and give out your cell phone number. Now you can talk on the phone too."====

6.) "It was fun chatting with my friend on the phone today. Funny how old he(she) sounds for just being 21. Oh, well. I’m sure s(he) is just mature for his(her) age."
====7.) "My friend wants me to keep our relationship a secret. S(he) says that other people will just interfere and not understand how close we really are. I kind of agree, I mean, my family and friends haven’t exactly been supportive and nice to me lately. They just don’t understand me like s(he) does."====

9.) "I finally agreed to send my online friend my address. If I don’t I won’t be able to receive the huge gift in the mail! Oh, I’m so excited. I wonder what it will be."
====10.) "I must admit I’m a little shocked. My friend said (s)he couldn’t send me a gift to my house just yet. Instead, I got a bunch of pictures sent to my email address. They were actually kind of disgusting pictures of people. I sure wouldn’t want anyone to know I was looking at gross pictures like that! My friend wants to know what I thought of them. "==== ====11.) "I’m really not sure about what to do. My online friend, who I really trust and adore, wants me to send pictures of myself that are not exactly what my parents and teachers would call “appropriate”. I just don’t know, I mean, what if other people saw them. (S)he promises that it will be just between us though. Hmmm. I’m not sure."==== ====12.) "I wondered when this would happen. It has finally come time to go on a date with my online friend. S(he) wants me to come alone to the park on Friday so we can have a picnic by candlelight. It sounds so fun and romantic. I guess I’m a little nervous about it. I wonder if I should tell my parents about it or bring a friend."====

Ask the players the following questions:

 * ====What was the first mistake that "You" made when joining a social network? Why?====
 * ====What other mistakes did "You" make online, while communicating with your online freind?====
 * ====What should you have done to better protect yourself?====
 * ====What about the date? Should you go?====

====Encourage discussion on all of these issues. Try to help kids see the danger of being careless with personal information online. They should also understand that not everyone who they meet is who they claim to be. Finally, make sure that they know to NEVER go meet someone they met online, especially if they are alone.====

**//Credits//**

 * The game idea was catalogued on http://www.group-games.com/stationary-games/mafia-game.html.
 * ==== This ice-breaker educational game was originally called “Mafia” and functioned under similar rules involving the mafia eliminating the townspeople. The original game was invented by psychology student, Dimitry Davidoff, in Russia in 1986. ====
 * Information on the Predatory Grooming process was researched from this document: //[|www.uwex.edu/ces/cty/buffalo/4h/documents/TheInternetPredatorGroomingProcess.doc]//